What's Her Name: A History of the World in 80 Lost Women

by Katie Nelson, Olivia Meikle

Journey through thousands of years of human history (now with the women put back in).From the earliest human civilizations through to the present day, the stories of countless influential women – leaders, artists, warriors, scientists and more – have been ignored, forgotten, or actively suppressed. You may not have encountered the likes of Fatima al-Fihri (an Islamic World visionary who founded the world's first university), Ching Shih (the most successful pirate in history), or Huda Sha'arawi (a pioneering Egyptian feminist leader, suffragette, nationalist, and founder of the Egyptian Feminist Union), but that's about to change.In What’s Her A History of the World in 70 Lost Women, authors – and sisters – Olivia Meikle and Katie Nelson weave together the captivating stories of these fascinating figures to tell an alternative, enthralling and deeply researched historical narrative.A truly global history, What’s Her Name features biographies of incredible women spanning six continents and thousands of years, from Ancient Egypt and the Roman Empire to imperial China, the Americas and post-war Europe. Drawing on years of study and interviews with dozens of experts, this is an entertaining, thought-provoking look at the trailblazing women you may not have heard of (but should have).

Genres: Nonfiction, Feminism, Biography Memoir, History

304 pages, Paperback

Published December 17, 2024

About the author

I live to bring world history to life!

I wish for a world with more academically sound writing, sans stuffiness, snobbery and jargon.

I am cohost of the global women's history podcast, What'sHerName.

I believe in the educational power of travel and lead women's history tours.

I have a Zen master, Winslow- a rescue schnauzer.

Everything is love.

Reviews

[anjaRUok · Rating 3 out of 5]

i liked the overall purpose of and the selection of women presented in this book since most of these (hi)stories were new to me.
however, i had a hard time with the tone and writing style. oftentimes, the tone was trying too hard to be witty, funny, cynical, take your pick. somehow that led to the whole thing sounding less serious but rather almost mocking in my eyes which goes completely against what this book was originally trying to accomplish.
i see why this style was chosen since both authors have a podcast with the same topic and are active on social media. while this style might be suitable for those applications and shorter content, it just didn't have the right flow for me in a cohesive book.

[Christine Adler · Rating 5 out of 5]

Refreshing, Enlightening, and Downright Hilarious!

What’s Her Name: A History of the World in 80 Lost Women is a delightfully funny and thought-provoking lens through which to revisit our human history. Like many, I love history but have a hard time wading through the dry tomes so often forced upon us in our education. In this book, the authors refuse to contribute to the “sad sack of stories strung together by The Man about The Man”, instead taking you on a journey to see the parts of our history that were criminally cut from the final edition.

As I read it, each chapter felt like being guided through history by a tour guide who knows all the best spots. I felt as though the authors were just over my shoulders, pointing to parts of history that had been overlooked. They showed me how to question everything, often with hilarious quips sprinkled in, and encouraged me to look at every fact from multiple perspectives.

Refreshingly this book explores new women who are not typically included in the ‘20 Women Who Ever Existed and Did a Thing’ that we’re usually told about. Yes, Marie Curie, Florence Nightingale, and Amelia Earhart et al were all important women, but there are so many others who deserve to have their incredible stories told! Women make up half of the population, why are we not half of the main characters in our story? These authors endeavor to rectify this omission.

But by far my favorite part of this book is how accessible it is. While some can sit and read dry historical text ad nauseum, others, including myself, find it to be a challenge just to sit down and crack open the book, let alone take in the dense paragraphs of facts. Compared to typical history texts, this book is refreshing and engaging. Every page held something new to me, and was presented in a way that felt inviting and open. Their talent of presenting our history as an engaging story is truly showcased on every page in this book.

In short, this book has entertained, enlightened, and encouraged me to think in a way I hadn’t before, and I hope it will bring others the joy it has brought me. Here’s to these 80 women, and to the many more who’s stories are yet untold.

[Maya Roels · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rewriting history with women in it. Ik kan niet geloven hoe ongelooflijk hard vrouwen uit geschiedenis gelaten zijn/worden. Ik ga sowieso Amadeo verplichten om deze te lezen en te incorporeren in zijn lessen. Het zijn fantastische en inspirerend verhalen die jonge vrouwen/meisjes MOETEN horen om rolmodellen te hebben. De auteurs hebben zo belangrijk werk geleverd.... LOVE IT

[Amber · Rating 3 out of 5]

They say that history is written by the victors. This book tries to go against that theory.

What’s Her Name? looks at the women that history doesn’t tell us about. 80 different women are profiled here from various points throughout history and from different countries throughout the world. From the earliest points of civilisation to the 1990s, we learn about those women who made a historical difference but weren’t taught to us in school. Of the 80 I had heard of just 1 and I didn’t know much about her so this book does genuinely live up to its title, rather than feeling like a rehash of other books.

Most of the profiles are short which gives us a taster of the person’s story. Each profile is written in a chatty way which makes it engaging and accessible. This book ties into a podcast of the same name and although I’ve not listened, it feels like the tone of the book is in the same vein as the chatty tone of a podcast. Several of the people in the book also have their own episode on the podcast so if there are any that take your interest, one assumes you can learn more there.

All in all, a different take on female history. I was rather surprised that I hadn’t heard of most of the women but that was a good thing and helped me branch out. It was great that it was written in a way that was accessible for people, rather than too stuffy.

Thanks to the authors, publishers & NetGalley for access to this arc in return for an honest review.

[Aida Saldana Hernandez · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great book, not just because of all the detailed facts put into it that gives all the stories a rich trdimensional stage, it also keeps you engaged from beginning to end. I like the way one thing it's linked to the next and how it's written, it's like the narrator inside your head comes alive in every page, and it's a lot of fun to read!

Thank you for putting this book together, I l earned a lot of the forgotten women, the fallen women and women behind the scenes, and the ones in front who couldn't really tell their true stories for one reason or another. However, they all have one thing in commone: they never stopped trying! I feel that we all are these women, and their stories deserve to be told. I recommended this book to my daugther and to all my friends. Happy reading!

[Peter Willoughby · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is special as is the project that it represents.
The book shows progress so far in mining into the hidden histories that the rulers of the past have not wanted us to know about.
The stories all centre on women, usually remarkable women.
The book leans heavily on the What's Her name podcast, but stands on its own as the state of play at this particular point of time.
I wish the whole project every success and thank everyone involved for opening my eyes to even more tall tales told by the powers that be.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Jelle Floris Kooij-IJkema · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoy learning about history. The people who lived in the past have so much to teach us about the world we will encounter in the future. I have read many a memoir, biography, and historical novel, but of all 80 women written about in this book, I knew of not one before. This in itself is not surprising, but it is sad to think about. To say that people were lost to history is to say that they did something worthy of being remembered for. For centuries, being a woman simply disqualified you from being remembered. I am glad books such as this one aim to correct this wrong.

However, I wish the writing had been more academic and not from Gen-Z's Twitch chat.

[Andrea · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wanted to get my hands on this book so badly (well before the U.S. release date) that while I was in London, I scoured bookstores for it! I LOVE the What’s Her Name podcast! Olivia and Katie bring historical women to life in a way not many historians or authors can. What I love most about this book is it certainly references the podcast, but it’s not a direct transcript. It weaves the narratives of all 80 women together beautifully. 100/10 recommend you read this and then pre-order and send it to a friend!

[Lesley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Short profiles of women from the earliest civilisations to the Twentieth Century in a chatty sort of style, a bit like a stand-up comedian (but without the punchline). It addresses the fact that history has been written by men and has ignored all matriarchal societies and some fascinating women. I did however feel that some of the sentiments were unnecessarily anti-male.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

[Natalia h · Rating 5 out of 5]

AMÉ. Fácil de leer, ameno, con humor que de verdad te hace reír, y 80 mujeres que debieron ser protagonistas en la historia desde tiempos inmemoriales. Cada nombre como para buscar más información, mujeres valientes e inteligentes, pillas y luchadoras; por sobre todo, mujeres sorprendentes! Me encantó.

[Matthew Meikle · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had a chance to read an early copy of this book and it was wonderful! A welcome break from the stodgy biographies of the past. The writers focus on storytelling and humor to navigate the reader through the whole history of the world. I wish my history classes growing up were like this.

[Denise · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun, breezy and informative. An entertaining jaunt through world history profiling 80 fascinating women. A lot of these I was at least somewhat familiar with, but I also encountered a number of names that were entirely new to me.

[Jasmine · Rating 5 out of 5]

An easy, engaging, entertaining and exceptionally informative read.

[Lorna · Rating 5 out of 5]

⭐️ 4.5 star rating

[Emma Wik · Rating 5 out of 5]

🩷!!

[Silvia ❄️ · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the most interesting reading of this year. I’m sad they didn’t write anything else like this because I want more.

[Michelle Fletcher · Rating 5 out of 5]

For far too long women have been written out of History to support the male narrative, some women could not be ignored, but sadly there are many heroic women who pathed the way but did not receive the credit they deserved.

Well not any more there are some fantastic books out there writing women right back in to history where they belong and this is just one of them, a brilliant read, with a fun look at history and a joy to read.

It’s time we had a Woman in History month taught in schools! Herstory education! Our voices deserve to be heard!

[Vanessa · Rating 4 out of 5]

What’s Her Name by Katie Nelson; Olivia Meikle; What'sHerName Podcast is the History of the World in 80 Lost Women. This book is a journey through thousands of years of human history.
From the earliest human civilisations through to the present day, these stories are of countless influential women, leaders, artists, warriors, scientists and so much more.

You may not have heard of Fatima al-Fihri who was an Islamic World visionary who founded the world's first university. Or Ching Shih the most successful pirate in history, or Huda Sha'arawi a pioneering Egyptian feminist leader, suffragist, nationalist, and founder of the Egyptian Feminist Union.

Within this book the authors who are sisters – Olivia Meikle and Katie Nelson weave together the captivating stories of these fascinating figures to tell an alternative, enthralling and deeply researched historical narrative.
A truly global history, What’s Her Name features biographies of incredible women spanning six continents and thousands of years, from Ancient Egypt and the Roman Empire to imperial China, the Americas and post-war Europe. Drawing on years of study and interviews with dozens of experts, this is an entertaining, thought-provoking look at the trailblazing women you may not have heard of.

This was an interesting book.

[feli sac · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh how I love being a woman!
Lowkey si fuera una productora leería este libro y sacas historias impresionantes de mujeres increíbles que fueron olvidadas, o borradas de la historia. Merecen mil millones de biopics
gracias sebas <3